On Activism and Women’s Rights: A Conversation with Yasmine Mohammed

Yasmine Mohammed is an Arab-Canadian and teaches at various universities around Canada. She is a passionate advocate for the rights of women, LGBT individuals, and religious dissidents—particularly in the Middle East. Yasmine is the founder of a non-profit organization called Free Hearts Free Minds, which is specifically designed to assist ex-Muslims living in Muslim-majority countries handle the trauma and stress related to leaving Islam in countries where apostasy is punishable by death. Yasmine is also an international speaker and regularly partners with the Critical Thinking Unit, a student group in partnership with the Ayaan Hirsi Ali Foundation that brings speakers to campuses across the country, to visit college campuses and discuss the rights of women in the Middle East and other issues. She has also been interviewed on the Canadian Broadcasting Corporation, as well as on other news networks, and is featured in the documentary-discussion film Islam and the Future of Tolerance.

The following transcript has been edited for clarity.

Paul Taske: To start, can you provide some general information about your background and its relation to your activism?

Yasmine Mohammed: I was born and raised in Vancouver, Canada, to a fundamentalist Muslim family. I did not realize at the time that [my family] was fundamentalist; I thought [we] were just normal Muslims because that was the community I was raised in. I went to an Islamic school and all the little girls wore the hijab and all the little boys learned about jihad and that was what I thought of as normal. I was also taught that anyone who was not practicing Islam that way was misguided or incorrect.

At the age of nineteen, I was introduced to the man I was to marry. At that point I started to wear niqab—that’s the face covering. Up until then I was covering everything except for my face and hands. Once I was told that I was going to marry him I started to cover even my face and hands. We were married for a few years and had a daughter [together] before I was contacted by the Canadian [Security Intelligence Service] to let me know that the man I was married to was a member of al-Qaeda. At the time, I only had a high school education and a little daughter. Through a series of difficult events, I was able to get myself and her away from him and we started our lives all over again.

My family was very unhappy about this because they felt that I had dishonored the family by being a divorced woman living alone. [My family strongly believed that a woman should] either live in your family’s house or in your husband’s house. If you live alone that means you are a whore. Needless to say, it caused a rift in our relationship. But during that rift time, I was going to university and was taking a course on the history of religions. That was when I started to approach Islam objectively and critically examine it as I had never been allowed to before. In this class I was allowed to question things [that I had previously only taken on faith or belief.] One of the first things I did was decide that I did not want to wear the hijab anymore. One day my mom contacted me and said she needed a ride to the doctor’s office and had no other way of getting there. So, I decided that was the day. Since she needs me I would go pick her up without a hijab on. Because she needed me she couldn’t refuse to get in the car; it was my way of forcing her to see that I was not wearing a hijab and force that conversation. Though I did put a hijab in the back seat in case I lost my courage, but I didn’t reach back and get it. Of course, as soon as she saw me without the hijab she completely lost her mind and threatened to kill me. She told me that if I took off the hijab then my next step would be to leave the religion and that she would make sure that I was dead before that happened. You see, she did not want me messing with her chances of going to Heaven. She said that Allah would ask her how she could raise a non-believer and she did not want to take the blame for my sin of non-belief. So that was that. I severed ties with my mom at that point and, therefore, the rest of my family. My daughter and I just moved away and started a new life together; we were able to do that because we were living in a secular, free country.

PT: Could you briefly explain your areas of activism and how you became interested in and passionate about those issues?

YM: So, that is actually a perfect segue because, as I mentioned, I was able to start my life all over again because I am living in a free, secular country. It made me think about all the people that have gone through the exact same thing that I went through or are going through the exact same thing that I went through. Except they live in Pakistan, Somalia, Saudi Arabia, or any Muslim-majority country that will execute them for not being Muslim.^[2] They don’t have the same luxury that I had; they are not able to just move away and start all over again. That is why my activism focuses [on supporting] those people. My primary mechanism for activism is through an organization I founded called Free Hearts Free Minds. [Free Hearts Free Minds] supports people who have decided to leave Islam but are living in Muslim-majority countries.

The other place where I focus my activism, [but] do not have an organization for it, is working with women around the Islamic world who are fighting for their basic rights. The thing we are focusing on now is the hijab. It is about twenty-five women from all over the world that are involved in this effort. What we do is use social media to show westerners that the hijab being displayed in popular culture undermines the efforts of women in certain countries who are arrested or killed because they refuse to wear this cloth on their head. We have several common hashtags we use to show the stories of everyday women resisting the forced hijab in different countries. Some of these hashtags are #MyStealthyFreedom, #WhiteWednesdays, #FreeFromHijab, #MyCameraIsMyWeapon. Women record themselves removing the hijab, how they are being harassed and even physically assaulted in the streets by police officers and the general public. This campaign is aimed at raising awareness that the hijab is not some unifying Islamic symbol. A hijab is actually something that is causing a lot of strife in Muslim-majority countries. The reason why it causes such strife is because women are fighting against it for the belief that it is their right to choose what they want to wear on their own bodies. Now, that is not some novel statement or something other people cannot relate to.

Now, a more controversial statement is that the hijab is the epitome of rape culture. We talk a lot about rape culture in the West, but true rape culture is where the hijab is forced, not just on the women but the little girls as well. In Iran, you cannot go to school unless you wear the hijab. Now, the reason why it is rape culture is [two-fold. First, the hijab is a form of victim-blaming. Second, it is a form of slut-shaming.] The actual doctrine in Islam says women should cover themselves so that they may not be molested. It tells women that it is their responsibility to cover themselves up so that they do not get raped. Of course, this is ludicrous. In a country like Egypt the statistics say that 99.3% of women have reported being sexually harassed.^[3] Obviously, [if you look at the data] putting cloth on a woman’s head is not what will prevent harassment. Meanwhile, the men in Egypt and other countries will say if a woman is not covered, her clothing is too tight, or her hair is showing then she is asking for it. This is what young boys are taught and you can see videos of them saying these things if you look on YouTube or elsewhere. The problem is not whether cloth is on a woman’s head but the thoughts in boys’ heads. That is what we need to be focused on. That’s the victim-blaming component of rape culture.

Turning to the slut-shaming component, Islam teaches that girls who cover their hair are good, clean, and pure, while girls who do not cover their hair are dirty, free-for-all. The initial purpose behind the hijab was to separate the women that you cannot rape versus the women that you can rape. That meant the Muslim women versus the non-Muslim sex slaves. So, there are definite elements of slut-shaming going on there. When we talk about this issues, [rape culture, victim blaming, and slut shaming,] in the western world people get up-in-arms and rebel against anyone telling them what they can wear, but those same issues—but to a greater degree—in other countries are not acknowledged and are even accepted. We are not talking about whether to free the nipple or not, we are talking about freeing the face, freeing the hair of countless women who do not want to wear the hijab, niqab, or burka. These issues are what I think are important to bring attention to in the West; women in the Islamic world already know this is a problem and that’s why they are fighting.

The problem, however, is that [in the western world] feminists are undermining these efforts. When you have Oprah Winfrey at the Women in the World conference celebrating the fact that the prime minister of New Zealand put a hijab on in solidarity with Muslims after [the Christchurch] massacre. [Neither Oprah nor the Prime Minister of New Zealand] understand what [they] are talking about. These women are not aware of what the women on the other side of the world are going through. When [Orpah or the Prime Minister] supports the hijab they are supporting the oppression of their sisters. I am sure if they knew [about the oppression overseas] they would not be doing these things. But the problem is that they do not stop, listen, and learn [about the full context.] Instead, they make judgements out of ignorance.

PT: I would like to circle back to your first area of activism and your organization Free Hearts Free Minds. What does Free Hearts Free Minds do to help people in Muslim-majority countries?

YM: Essentially, what Free Hearts Free Minds does is suicide prevention. The people who contact us go through a six-week program with Jimmy Bangash. Jimmy is a life coach [currently completing] his Master’s degree in counseling therapy right now in the United Kingdom. He takes people through a program which he developed along with his university professors that helps to give people who are feeling completely helpless and hopeless—because even speaking to a friend, family member, or spouse could get them arrested or killed—to help them deal with the trauma, guilt, and self-hate by providing coping mechanisms and strategies.

Every person is different. Some people may be in the position where they feel they have the strength to talk to a family member or plan their exit strategy. Or [they may feel stronger] after meeting other atheists in their community because we connect them with trusted individuals and organizations within their own country. Both the coping mechanisms and the resources [provided by Free Hearts Free Minds] are aimed at helping individuals cope better with their situation. The conclusion of the six weeks is really dependent on the individual and their particular journey and circumstances. We have a very long waiting list, but we always [prioritize the people on the list.] Specifically, we prioritize women from Saudi Arabia and LGBT people from anywhere in the Muslim world. Those two groups always get precedence.

Every time Jimmy meets with a new person and hears their story his reaction is a [sense of seriousness] about the problems that need to be addressed in just six weeks. But at the end of the six weeks, every time, he always feels [a sense of relief] that they managed to get through all of the issues. There are testimonials on our site that talk about what it was like when they first contacted us versus when they finished the counseling sessions.^[4] It is quite miraculous; I am very thankful for Jimmy. He is incredibly devoted to this work and he personally understands its importance because he was disowned by his family when they found out he was gay, so he deeply understands what it is like to go through trauma [stemming from the strict religious beliefs of family.]

PT: Does Free Hearts Free Minds just provide the counseling, or are there other services Free Hearts Free Minds provides? For example, if someone is in fear for his or her life does Free Hearts Free Minds try to evacuate that person?

YM: If that is the case, Free Hearts Free Minds will put the person in touch with organizations designed to do that. We personally do not do that though. We do not have the infrastructure to do that. But the Center for Inquiry’s Secular Rescue program is our first call in those situations. We also contact Faith to Faithless in the United Kingdom and Atheist Refugee Rescue located in Germany.^[5] So, while we will help get them in contact with other organizations if need-be, we do not personally provide other services.

PT: Circling around to your second area of activism, you are clearly very passionate about woman’s rights and freedoms. Does it bother you that other feminists aren’t speaking out about these issues?

YM: I would actually like to clarify that. If someone doesn’t speak out about these issues that is fine. I do not begrudge them for that. My problem arises when they actively speak up against [myself or others about these issues.] When it happens they usually speak out of ignorance, looking back to my Oprah example. I get upset when someone like Ellen DeGeneres gets excited about the hijab on Barbie. As such a human rights activist that [Ellen] is, someone who has really suffered at the hands of bigotry, she should know better. She should understand how religious indoctrination and divine bigotry is horrible. So it isn’t about not speaking up, it is when someone speaks up against us or in support of putting a tool of misogyny and oppression on a little girl’s toy that bothers me. Those that do not speak up may be concerned with other issues and that is their prerogative. But I have met many feminists who have [accepted the idea] that if you are white you cannot speak on these issues. What is important to understand is that just like in any society there is a right and a left. In the Islamic world, those on the left argue for all the things you would expect in any other country—not cutting girls’ genitals, not forcing women to veil themselves, not forcing guardians on women. The conservatives are those who seek to preserve the status quo as defined by religious doctrines—rules for marriage, rules women covering in public. It is very easy to see that spectrum. I, and all the women I am fighting with, are all very much on the left side of this spectrum. But, inexplicably, the people on the right are being supported by western liberals like Oprah and Ellen. I am sure neither of them identifies as conservative or religiously conservative. It is really perplexing that they would support something that is religious conservatism. They would not stand up and support the oppressive practices of Hasidic Jews, the Westboro Baptist Church, Jehovah’s Witnesses or the gender segregation in Amish communities. They would not celebrate the practices in any of these situations because they understand the context and these examples are familiar to them. But when it comes to Islam they do not understand the context. So long as they view the hijab as merely a cultural symbol rather than a way of oppressing women around the world they will not speak up.

PT: It is quite clear that you oppose the forced veiling of women, do you have any thoughts about those who choose to wear the hijab freely?

YM: My problem is not women who want to wear the hijab, men who want to wear turbans, men want to wear kippahs, or women want to shave their heads all of these things are within their rights. They are allowed to wear whatever they want. My issue is the confusion between people that say they are liberal and then hold up, as liberation, a symbol that is the antithesis of liberalism. These are issues that need to be talked about openly so that people can become aware of how their actions are seen elsewhere in the world and how [some of those actions] undermine their stated goals.

PT: Is there anything you would like to share before we close?

YM: I would just like to say that the women fighting against the forced veiling in the Middle East, women fighting the hijab, that is just a physical representation of the patriarchy and misogyny and the subjugation of women generally. The hijab is something that is forced on their head, but these women do not have the choice of what to put on their head nor what to put in their head. In these countries free thought is not allowed.

When I think about those women today, they remind me of all the stories I have read and movies that I have seen about the suffragettes in the United States and in the United Kingdom. The women in the Middle East take inspiration from those stories about women who were demanding the right to be treated as human beings. All of those things that those first suffragettes had to go through is happening right now, in real life, in countries like Saudi Arabia. The women today draw inspiration from these first-wave feminists and I think that is something that Americans can feel proud of and take ownership of that. It would be incredible to see Americans appreciate the struggle going on elsewhere and support those women in their struggle. My last message would be that I hope the sisterhood can override any geographic, religious, or political differences so that we can just see each other as human beings and recognize that the women [in the Middle East] are just fighting to be as equal as the women over here.

PT: Excellent, thanks for taking the time to talk with me about these issues, Yasmine.

YM: Thank you so much for reaching out.

Associate Member, 2018-2019 Immigration and Human Rights Law Review ↑
According to a report by the Library of Congress, apostasy is a capital offense in no less than eight Muslim-majority countries and can carry other penalties where not punishable by death. See Laws Criminalizing Apostasy in Selected Jurisdictions, Library of Congress Global Research Center (May, 2014), https://www.loc.gov/law/help/apostasy/apostasy.pdf. ↑
Study on Ways and Methods to Eliminate Sexual Harassment in Egypt, United Nations Entity for Gender Equality and the Empowerment of Women (2013), page 4, https://dgvn.de/fileadmin/user_upload/DOKUMENTE/English_Documents/Sexual-Harassment-Study-Egypt-Final-EN.pdf (“Through this study we are able to confirm the spread of sexual harassment in Egypt to unprecedented levels. Of the female respondents, 99.3% replied that they have been subjected to one form or another of harassment.”). ↑
You can view the testimonials by visiting https://www.freeheartsfreeminds.com/. ↑
You can find these organizations at their respective websites:Secular Rescue: https://secure.centerforinquiry.net/secular-rescueFaith to Faithless: https://www.faithtofaithless.com/Atheist Refugee Rescue: https://atheist-refugees.com/en/. ↑

On Activism and Women’s Rights: A Conversation with Yasmine Mohammed

By Paul Taske^[1]